School’s Out!

I’m tired.  I’m really really tired.  I’m the kind of tired that only other teachers understand–when your body, mind, and spirit are all just spent.
You know how it is…you pour your heart, body, and soul into the hearts, bodies, and souls of twenty-five little people and then they leave.  In my case, they leave my building and some I never see again.  It’s draining and fulfilling at the same time.  As they students left there were tears…and hugs…and one handshake (not a hugger)…and I can BARELY remember back to the flurry of that first “Meet the Teacher” day back in August where everyone was so nervous and shy and cautious.  The nerves are gone now.  Caution has been thrown to the wind.  And they are all gone now.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines “bittersweet” as “containing a mixture of sadness and happiness”
and I guess that covers a teeny bit of the last day of school, but I think teachers know that the term “bittersweet” is much deeper than that definition.  It’s almost like the last 180 days of fun, learning, and relationships built up our teacher hearts just enough so that after this last day, there is enough “extra” to help us survive this round of goodbyes.  It’s an emotional cycle that only a teacher can understand.
So they leave.  And all the teachers walk back into the school and hardly anyone speaks.  They go back to their classrooms.  Many cry.  But the work is not yet finished.  There is end-of-year checkout to do and paperwork to file and–if you are me–you have THIS to deal with .
This day is where my lousy organizational skills come back to haunt me.  I spend hours trying to get my room all packed up so that I can refresh and start the process all over again.  I’ve done this 24 times now.  It’s exhausting.  It’s emotionally draining.  It’s who I am.  So each year I give little pieces of my heart and soul to my students and they, in turn, give me a little piece of theirs.  For those of you who are finished…enjoy this time to recover and refresh.  For those of you still teaching…savor every last minute.
To celebrate and as a way to look forward to all I am doing this summer to charge and refresh, I am putting my store on sale all weekend.  I cannot wait to share with you throughout the summer some new resources, some amazing professional resources, and even some deals and giveaways.  Make sure to stop back often!  

Meg